Inherited Courage
by Ulrich362
Summary: Shortly before the squads are announced, Hinata makes a request to be placed on Naruto's team. Will this change cause more than just a slight team dynamic difference?
1. the request

Inspired Courage

By Ulrich362

"I think I've got an idea who should be teamed up." Iruka said while looking at the list of graduates. "I couldn't be prouder of Naruto, he really proved he has what it takes to be a great hokage someday."

"Excuse me, Iruka-sensei." said a voice from outside the classroom.

"Yes, come in." Iruka said before looking up to see Hinata Hyuga. "Hinata, is something bothering you?"

"Actually sensei, I was wondering if I could make a request." Hinata said. I can't be nervous, not now, she thought.

"Well I suppose, what is it Hinata?" Iruka asked.

"If it isn't too much to ask, could I be on the same team asNaruto? His determination really helped me find the strength to work past my own limits." Hinata said before bowing in respect. "Although the decision is entirely yours to make."

"Your father doesn't acknowledge your abilities does he?"Iruka asked. "I heard that the younger daughter of the main branch would be the heiress to the clan. I'll give it some thought, the squads won't be announced for a few days, so get some rest, you've already graduated."

"Thank you sensei, I will." Hinata said politely before leaving the classroom.

"I wasn't expecting that, but she might have a point, Naruto has that effect on people." Iruka said.

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"Lord Hokage, you wanted to see us?" Asuma asked as the Konoha jonin walked into the Hokage Mansion.

"Yes, the new generation of ninja are ready to begin their training, you are to lead squads and so I need you to speak with Iruka Umino about this years graduates." said the Third Hokage.

"Yes, I hear we have quite the group this time." Kurenai said.

"That's true, but I would suggest Naruto be put under Kakashi's watchful eye." Asuma said. "He's the only one of us with any chance of containing the nine tails safely."

"Well, if he's going to be my student I might have to make a habit of keeping him out of trouble." Kakashi said lazily.

"The squads haven't yet been given to me, but I trust Iruka's judgment." the Hokage said. "You are dismissed, enjoy the rest of this peaceful day."

"Thank you lord Hokage." the jonin said together before leaving.

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"Hey Naruto." Iruka said when he saw his student walking past the academy.

"Oh, hey Iruka Sensei." Naruto said. "I was just heading to get some Ichiraku Ramen."

"That's just like you, but actually I'm glad I caught you, I need to ask you a question." Iruka said. "Naruto, what would you say are the most important qualities for a hokage?"

"Well, I'd say a hokage should be strong enough to protect his allies, be able to understand and connect to everyone in the village, and motivate the villagers to work towards their goals." Naruto said. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason, I was just curious." Iruka said. "Go grab some Ramen, I heard it was freshly made this morning with a new batch of ingredients."

"Really." Naruto said before running off.

"Naruto really is a one of a kind kid." Iruka said calmly.

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"Hinata, how was your day?" asked her mother. "Did your teacher answer your question?"

"He said he would need to look into it, but hopefully I'll know soon." Hinata said. I can't tell her what I asked, father wouldn't approve, she thought.

"Hinata." Hanabi said before running in. "I missed you, I need a break from training, and father isn't giving me any rest."

"I'll speak with father Hanabi, you should go and rest until dinner." Hinata said when her father walked in.

"Hinata, you're home. Well in that case I assume you got an answer from Iruka." Hiashi said.

"Yes, but I feel I should train now, I need to improve if I'm going to be a useful member of my team." Hinata said.

"Very well, we can begin after dinner." Hiashi said as his wife placed the meal on the table.

"Hinata, would you be willing to tell us what you asked your sensei?" her mother asked.

"Well, I would like to get an answer first." Hinata said slowly.

"That's understandable." said her mother. "Hanabi, were you able to improve today?"

"I think so mother, although I feel completely sore now." Hanabi said.

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"Lord Hokage?" Iruka asked at the door.

"Iruka come in, I was wondering when you would arrive." the Third Hokage said. "What's on your mind?"

"Actually, I was here to inform you I know who the squads will be, and I needed to know where to send them to meet their senseis." Iruka said respectively.

"Alright, here you are, I trust you placed Naruto in good hands." said the Hokage.

"Yes, I put him in the most capable hands we have." Irukas aid. "Thank you lord hokage." Iruka said before leaving.

"I wonder how he divided the rookies, well I suppose I'll see tomorrow." the Hokage said with a smile.

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"Alright, I hope you all had a pleasant rest last night, because today is the last time you'll ever set foot in this academy." Iruka said. Well for the genin who actually pass that test, he thought.

"Iruka sensei, we owe you quite a lot." Sakura said.

"She's right, you taught us all so much." Kiba said.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you all think that, but now you all get the chance to go and learn from the world. Who knows, maybe one of you will teach me something." Iruka said with a laugh. "Alright, time to announce the squads, first squad six, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Sakura Haruno."

No, I needed to be with Sasuke-kun, Sakura thought.

"Next, squad seven Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and…" Iruka started to say.

"Thank you sensei." Ino said standing up.

"Ino, I wasn't talking about you, the last member of squad seven is Hinata Hyuga." Iruka said.

"What!" Ino and Sakura said simultaneously.

"You heard correctly, now the next squad, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akamichi." Iruka said.

(Author's Note: the other squads were never specified, so they won't be here either.)

"Alright, I'll tell you where you will meet your sensei, squad six will head to room 115, squad seven in room 103, and squad eight, room 110." Iruka said before the last three squads left the classroom. I hope I didn't make a mistake, no I know these are the right squads, he thought.

(Hinata made a critical request of Iruka and it was granted, now she's on Naruto's team. Next chapter Kakashi will meet his team and the survival exercise will start. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	2. squad seven's training begins

"Where is our sensei?" Naruto asked.

"It has been a long time, maybe we went to the wrong room." Hinata suggested.

"No, we just have a lazy sensei, so I'm going to teach him a lesson." Naruto said before grabbing an eraser and walking towards the door.

"Loser, our sensei is a jonin, a dumb prank like that won't work." Sasuke said.

"Well, if he's that skilled we'll see for ourselves." Naruto said when the door began to open.

"Hello, I'm your," Kakashi began to say before the eraser hit him on the head.

That actually worked, Sasuke thought in amazement.

"Well, I was going to say I'm your sensei, Kakashi Hatake, and on first impressions I hate you." Kakashi said casually.

"Please forgive us sensei, we just wanted to see how skilled you were." Hinata said respectively.

"Yeah, but you couldn't even dodge an eraser, how can you be a good ninja?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I'll show you that soon enough, as for right now come with me." Kakashi said before looking at Hinata. "Oh, and you don't need to be so formal, we're all friends here. At least that's the idea anyway."

"Yes, thank you." Hinata said before following Kakashi.

"Alright, let's introduce ourselves, so tell me your name, your goal for the future, what you like, what you dislike, and anything else you want to mention." Kakashi said. "Now ladies first."

"Ok, I'm Hinata Hyuga of the main branch of the Hyuga clan, I hope to become a skilled ninja." Hinata said, and impress Naruto-kun, she thought.

"As for what I like, I enjoy nature, and spending time with the people I care about, as for dislikes, I don't like feeling useless, or being a hindrance to my allies." Hinata said.

"Well said, you're a really kind person." Kakashi said. "Alright, how about you?"

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha, I don't like anything, and I only have an objective, to kill a certain man." Sasuke said.

"Well, that's certainly a different philosophy, but I can't choose what your outlook on life is." Kakashi said.

"You saved the best for last, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, I love Ichiraku Ramen, I dislike people who hurt my friends. My goal for the future is to become the greatest hokage in history." Naruto shouted.

"Well, you certainly have the drive." Kakashi said. "Alright, tomorrow we'll meet up at the training field, oh and don't eat breakfast. I'll know if you did and you won't be happy."

"Yes sensei." Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata said together.

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"Hinata, you're finally home, did something go wrong?" her mother asked.

"No, my sensei just took a little longer to meet up with us."Hinata said.

"Oh, that's not a good example." said her mother. "Who is on your team dear?"

"Well, our sensei is Kakashi Hatake, and my teammates are Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki." Hinata said.

"Naruto, the nine tailed fox boy?" Hiashi asked as he and Hanabi walked into the kitchen.

"Yes, I was put on his team." Hinata said. "Although he's a good person."

"If you're certain, I'll trust your judgment." Hiashi said. "Now then, time for dinner, and Hinata I recommend you get to bed early, exhaustion on the first day of training is never a good idea."

"Right." Hinata said.

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"Naruto, are you trying to break the ramen eating record?" asked Ayame. "That's the 23rd bowl already."

"Nope, just getting ready for training, I'm an official ninja with a team now." Naruto said. "Well, thanks for the food."

"No problem, and good luck with your missions." said Teuchi as Naruto ran out.

"Maybe I should head for the training field." Naruto said to himself. "No, I should rest before tomorrow."

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"Soon, soon I'll get my revenge." Sasuke said angrily. Itachi, I promise you that I'll kill you with my own hands, he thought.

"Sasuke, are you in here?" asked a voice from outside the door.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I was just here since you need some food." said the young man with the bag of food.

"Leave it on the table, then get out." Sasuke said.

(Author's Note: Sasuke is more sensitive to people being at the Uchiha district so he's more likely to shout at others, he's calmer outside his house.)

"Right, I should get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow isn't going to be quite so straight forward." Sasuke said.

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"Good morning Naruto, Sasuke." Hinata said as she walked into the training field.

"Hey Hinata, looks like Kakashi sensei is late again, I can't believe this." Naruto said angrily.

"We've been here for a few minutes, but still a jonin shouldn't be late." Sasuke said.

"Well, as long as we're here maybe we should spar a little while we wait." Hinata suggested.

"That's a good idea, alright, so who's first?" Sasuke asked.

"I'll spar with you Sasuke." Hinata said, maybe Naruto will notice how much I've improved, she thought.

"Alright, this should be interesting, Hyuga vs. Uchiha."Sasuke said before drawing a kunai and taking a battle stance.

"Right, I'll do my best." Hinata said before performing several hand seals. "Byakugan!" the moment she said that, the veins around Hinata's eyes bulged, and her eyes became more focused.

"So that's the Byakugan, it certainly looks impressive."Sasuke said.

Sasuke shifted his weight slightly and jumped towards Hinata with a punch, but Hinata shifted to her back leg and jumped away.

"Eight Trigrams Technique." Hinata said before jumping back at Sasuke, while she shifted her hand to her side.

"Excuse me, am I interrupting anything?" Kakashi asked as he arrived at the training field.

"No, we were just warming up for training." Hinata said while putting down her Byakugan.

"Well, I have news for you, this is going to be a survival exercise, and if you fail you're going to go back to the academy." Kakashi said before pulling out three brown bags. "I trust you know what these are?"

"When did you get our food?" Naruto asked.

"Iruka provided them for me." Kakashi replied, "Now I'll explain the rules of the exercise."

(Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata have started to train with each other, and Kakashi has arrived to test them. Next chapter will feature the survival test. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)

(Author's Note: any suggestions about how to handle combat will be greatly appreciated, thanks.)


	3. Survival exercise

"Alright now I assume none of you ate this morning correct?" Kakashi asked.

"No Kakashi Sensei." Naruto and Hinata said.

"Of course not." Sasuke said.

"Alright, well if you want lunch, you'll pass this test I have in mind, it's really simple, get one of these bells from me before this alarm goes off. You can use whatever kinds of strategy you want, however unless you come at me with the intent to kill, you won't succeed." Kakashi said.

"Hey hold on a second you only have two bells, that means someone won't get any food no matter what." Naruto said suddenly.

"Well, in that case I'd suggest getting a bell, well I'll set this alarm for two hours, that should be until noon, so when I give the signal…" Kakashi started to say.

"I'm going to crush you." Naruto said running forward while pulling back his fist.

Suddenly Kakashi disappeared and reappeared behind Naruto holding his arm and head. "I didn't say start yet, Ready, Start."

The moment Kakashi said that he vanished and Sasuke leapt into a nearby tree while Hinata performed the same seals she had against Sasuke.

What is that loser doing? Sasuke thought as Naruto looked around in plain sight.

"Where are you, hiding is a cheap strategy." Naruto yelled.

"Alright, Ninja technique lesson one, Taijutsu." Kakashi said.

Naruto charged straight at Kakashi and began to throw wild punches and kicks that Kakashi dodged while casually reading a book.

"You always leave yourself open to attacks?" Kakashi asked.

"What." Naruto said angrily before launching another kick although this time Kakashi ducked it.

"Hidden Leaf Village Secret Taijutsu: a thousand years of death." Kakashi said before jabbing naruto in the butt.

Hinata, meanwhile slipped closer to Kakashi and managed to launch a strike to Kakashi's shoulder before he noticed her.

"Well, you seem to understand the concept of watching for an opening, although." Kakashi suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Naruto, don't that's a trap." Hinata yelled just before Naruto ended up dangling by his ankle from a tree.

"Well, the Hyuga clan certainly teaches you a lot in a short time." Kakashi said when Sasuke suddenly saw his chance; he dropped down and landed in front of Kakashi while making hand seals.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu." Sasuke said as his jutsu flew towards Kakashi.

Genin shouldn't be able to use fire techniques, it takes too much chakra, Kakashi thought before jumping over the fireball. Unfortunately for him Sasuke was there and delivered a kick while brushing one of the bells on Kakashi's belt.

"You certainly have skill, but like I said, unless you come with the intent to kill you'll fail." Kakashi said. "Oh, and you have one hour left."

Naruto however had just cut himself free from the trap and noticed the lunches were unprotected.

"Well, if I eat, I'll have more energy and be able to take him down." Naruto said as he walked over to grab his food. However just before he grabbed the bag Kakashi appeared.

"Sorry, but I don't take kindly to rule breakers." Kakashi said, "This exercise is over."

Kakashi called Hinata and Sasuke over to three adjacent logs before tying Naruto to the middle log. "Alright, I have something to attend to, I'm giving you one chance to pass the test, don't give Naruto any food, otherwise you'll all fail, those are the rules. Do I make myself clear?" Kakashi asked.

"Whatever." Sasuke said.

"Yes sensei." Hinat said respectfully.

Kakashi simply nodded and vanished in a cloud of smoke while Sasuke and Hinata began to eat their lunches.

A sudden growl startled them when Naruto began to laugh. "Don't worry about me guys, we need to pass this test."

Naruto, Hinata thought when suddenly Sasuke held up his food to his teammate.

"Here." Sasuke said. "If your stomach is going to hold us back then eat."

"Sasuke's right Naruto, you should eat too, we can perform better on missions if we look out for each other." Hinata said before holding up her food as well.

"Did I miss something?" Kakashi said as he suddenly reappeared.

"Sensei, if Naruto isn't at full strength we won't be able to complete missions nearly as efficiently, besides if it means we fail the test at least we can all try again instead of leaving a friend behind." Hinata said.

Whoa, Hinata really thinks that, I thought everyone considered me a monster because of the nine tails, Naruto thought.

"Well, if you think that, I guess the only thing left is my decision." Kakashi said before closing his eyes in thought.

This is it, Sasuke thought.

My one chance to become Hokage, I'll pass this test and every other one, Naruto thought.

Please let us succeed; we worked as hard as we could, Hinata thought.

"I'd have to say, you all passed the test." Kakashi said while smiling. "You see, in the ninja world people who break the rules are scum."

When he said this Naruto and Hinata looked down in disappointment while Sasuke glared at him in annoyance.

"However, those who would abandon their comrades are worse than scum, you may have broken my rules but you did so to help a teammate, and that shows me you know what this is really about." Kakashi said. "We meet back in two days for training, I'd suggest you get some rest, because starting tomorrow we can and will be assigned missions."

"Right." Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke said together.

We did it, now we can work hard on achieving all our goals, Hinata thought as the three genin walked out of the training field with high spirits.

"I can't help but see potential in those three." Kakashi said. "What do you think lord Hokage?"

"I have a feeling this squad will achieve incredible things, this generation will be one to watch, but those three in particular." said the third Hokage as he walked from behind a tree.

"I agree lord Hokage, I agree." Kakashi said.

(Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke passed Kakashi's test, and are ready to begin doing missions. Next chapter will feature some simple missions for squad seven. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	4. basic missions

"Alright, since you all recently became a squad, I have the ideal mission for you." said the Third Hokage. "I trust you all are familiar with cats."

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"Naruto asked.

"Well your mission is to recover a missing cat, and return it to it's owner, the cat has a pink ribbon tied in the left ear." Iruka said before handing a scroll to Kakashi.

"Right, we'll take care of this." Kakashi said.

"Sensei, perhaps we should gather information about what the target likes?" Hinata asked. "It might help us figure out where it is."

"That's a good idea, where can we find our client?" Sasuke asked.

"Your client lives across from Ichiraku Ramen." the Third Hokage said.

"Alright, Naruto and I will talk to the client, Hinata you look around, and your eyes have the best chance of spotting it." Sasuke said. "Come on Naruto."

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"Hello, we wanted to speak with you about your cat." Sasuke said to the woman at the door.

"Yes, my precious kitten went missing last night, I asked the Hokage if someone could find her for me." said the client.

"We'll help, but where would the cat go?" Naruto asked. "Maybe it went somewhere it knows."

"My darling just adores the water, and whenever we take walks through the forest, but I know she won't be there, she hates being alone, oh she must be terrified." the client said.

"Alright, we'll find your cat." Sasuke said.

"Naruto, Sasuke. I found the target, it's heading due south from the training field, it should be heading your way." Hinata said.

"Right, Naruto let's move." Sasuke said.

"Yeah." Naruto said while they ran out of the building. "There she is."

Suddenly a cat sprinted right at Naruto and began to claw at his face.

"We have confirmation of the target, we'll give it to the client." Sasuke said calmly.

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"I'm impressed, you finished that assignment in no time, in fact we can assign one more mission for you today." Iruka said. "Unless you want to rest for tomorrow."

"We're fine, what assignment is there for us?" Kakashi asked.

"A simple assignment, you need to help some of the academy students by demonstrating ninja techniques."Iruka said.

"Right, that sounds good." Kakashi said. "Let's get going."

"Yes Sensei." Hinata and Naruto said together.

"Right." Sasuke said.

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"I'll never get this, my jutsu always works in my head, but never in actuality." said a young girl.

"Let me see." Hinata said kindly.

"Clone Jutsu." the little girl said when suddenly Hinata tapped her shoulder.

"I see the problem, you're focusing your chakra in the wrong way, instead of proving to yourself you can use the jutsu, try to show me." Hinata said with a smile.

"Ok, I'll try, Clone Jutsu." The girl said when she suddenly saw a clone. "Thank you so much."

"I'm glad to have helped, just focus more on relaxing and less on Thinking about how to do it, you were accidently using genjutsu on yourself." Hinata said.

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"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu." Sasuke said as Naruto ran ahead with a clone.

"I still don't understand why we need to spar with each other. " said two young boys at the same time.

"You spar with your classmates and eventually your teammates in order to promote teamwork." Sasuke said. "If you know how your allies fight, you can better compliment each other in different situations."

"Yeah, and that means more effective squads, and better missions." Naruto said with a grin.

"Well, once you get skilled enough at the simple assignments." Sasuke said before giving Naruto a 'moron' look.

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"Well I am impressed, you completed two separate assignments on your first day as an official squad, you certainly are a cohesive team." Iruka said.

"Right, well the rest of the evening is yours, enjoy yourselves." the Third Hokage said.

"Thank you lord Hokage." Squad Seven said as a group.

"If you need me I'll be around." Kakashi said before teleporting away.

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"Hinata, I take it you had a productive day." said her mother.

"Yes, we took on two assignments and completed them both." Hinata said before walking into her home.

"Two, that's quite the heavy load, especially for the first day." Hiashi said. "I trust your squad is working well?"

"Yes, everything is fine." Hinata said.

"Hinata, I saw you at the academy earlier today, you were amazing sister." Hanabi said while running into the kitchen.

"Well, I'm only doing the best I can." Hinata said. Hopefully it will impress Naruto-kun, she thought.

"Hinata, Hinata can you let me in?" came a voice from outside.

"Hello?" Hinata asked as she waked up to see Sasuke at the door. "Sasuke, is something wrong?"

"No, but Kakashi told me to give you this." Sasuke said while holding a small envelope.

"Thanks." Hinata said before accepting the envelope.

"Right, see you tomorrow." Sasuke said before leaving the Hyuga compound.

Hinata reentered the Kitchen and proceeded to open the Envelope revealing money inside, along with a small note.

"Hinata you all forgot your payment, this is for todays missions." the note was from Iruka.

"Oh, I guess I was just tired." Hinata said before placing the money in her wallet.

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"Lord Hokage, I have to admit that placing Hinata on squad seven was a wise choice." Iruka said.

"True, perhaps Sakura Haruno was the apparent choice, but I have a feeling this is the correct squad." said the Third Hokage.

"Is this where you request missions for ninja to take?" asked an old man.

"Yes, is something wrong?" Iruka asked.

"No, I just need an escort back to my home, I'm a famous bridge builder, and I need an escort so I can get back to work on a project of mine." the man said.

"Alright, we'll try to find a squad for the mission." the Third Hokage said. "Don't worry, everything will be taken care of."

(Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke have begun performing missions around Konoha. Next chapter Naruto will request a tougher assignment and squad seven will leave Konoha for the first time. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	5. Escort assignment

"Alright, I have the perfect assignment for you." Iruka said while squad seven patiently waited for an assignment, well most of them.

"Alright, we're finally going to get a cool mission." Naruto said eagerly.

"Naruto you're only a genin, which means you're only allowed to do d-ranked assignments. The more difficult missions are for chunin or jonin." Iruka said. "Now if you want to go on those missions I suggest you do what we tell you so you can advance in rank."

"Look, we have more than enough skill for a tougher mission." Naruto argued.

"Iruka, if Naruto wants a harder mission than give them that one." the Third Hokage said. "It isn't overly dangerous but it should suffice."

"Yes lord hokage, alright Naruto is a c-ranked mission hard enough for you?" Iruka asked before taking a mission scroll.

"Yeah, this is what I'm talking about, now you'll see what I can do." Naruto said excitedly.

"What's our new mission?" Kakashi asked.

"Naruto, maybe we should focus, we haven't ever done anything above d-rank, and so this could be difficult."Hinata said quietly.

"You're mission is a simple escort mission, there is a bridge builder in the village and he requested escorts back to the Land of Waves." Iruka said. "Your client should meet you at the village gates in a few hours, you should prepare."

"Sounds like a simple mission, alright thank you lord hokage." Kakashi said before bowing respectfully.

"Awesome, this is going to be our chance to show everybody how skilled we are." Naruto said excitedly.

"Listen, this is going to be a tougher assignment, so I recommend you all prepare for a long trip, this could take a few days." Kakashi said.

"Right." Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata said together.

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"Tazuna, we have a squad that's willing to escort you to your home." Iruka said.

"Well, in that case I'll head out to see how they do, I expect quality from one of the five great ninja villages." Tazuna said before walking out.

"Hopefully Kakashi can keep Naruto in line." Iruka said. "The last thing we need is for Naruto to damage our relations with the Land of waves."

"Don't worry, I have a feeling everything will work out." said the Third Hokage.

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"Father, may I speak with you?" Hinata asked.

"What's on your mind?" Hiashi asked.

"I just wanted to let you know that my squad will be heading off for a mission today, and someone needs to train with Hanabi." Hinata said quietly.

"You're a genin, all your missions are within the village walls so you should be finished by this evening." Hiashi said.

"No, lord hokage assigned us a c-ranked mission, we are to escort a bridge builder to the Land of Waves." Hinata explained. "I need to gather supplies."

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"This is going to be my chance to show everyone how skilled I am." Naruto said as he grabbed more kunai and shuriken. "Should I bring that? Yeah, I think it would be a good idea."

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"Alright, our client should be here any minute, are you sure you have everything that you'll need?" Kakashi asked as his team arrived.

"Yeah, we're ready for anything." Naruto said excitedly. "Now where's the guy we need to escort?"

"What kind of joke is this?" Tazuna asked as he walked up to the gate. "Where are the ninja I was told would escort me back to my home?"

"You must be Tazuna, I'm Kakashi and we're here to escort you, don't worry everything is under control." Kakashi said calmly.

"This village has so many skilled ninja, and I get a bunch of brats, that's just great." Tazuna said.

"Hey, you're not exactly the best person for a mission, but we're stuck with you, so deal with it." Naruto said angrily.

"Naruto, stay calm, Tazuna I assure you that we can escort you without any problems." Kakashi said.

"Fine, let's get going then." Tazuna said.

"Right, let's get going." Kakashi said.

"Come on, the day isn't getting any younger." Naruto said as he ran ahead.

"Please tell me that kid has some kind of caffeine or sugar rush going on right now." Tazuna said.

"No, that's just how Naruto acts normally." Sasuke said. "You get used to it, well eventually."

"Naruto, maybe we should follow Kakashi sensei because we've never been to the Land of Waves." Hinata said.

"Good idea, which way Kakashi sensei?" Naruto yelled back.

"Naruto, we're escorting someone, maybe we should actually follow him." Sasuke said sarcastically. "Idiot."

"I guess I was wrong, you aren't just kids, you're spoiled brats, I should just wait for a real squad." Tazuna said.

"Listen, we're going to complete our mission whether you like it or not." Naruto said angrily.

"Naruto, calm down. Tazuna I assure you we can handle this assignment." Kakashi said calmly.

"Well, I suppose time is a factor when you have a project to complete, let's go." Tazuna said.

"Right, Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke we're moving out."Kakashi said.

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"So you understand why I hired you gentlemen?" asked a man in a suit.

"Yeah, you need us to kill the bridge builder, no problem just remember to stay out of our way, we'll get the job done." said a man with a sword on his back.

"Don't worry, we won't disappoint." said a younger man wearing a mask.

"Don't worry, we'll handle things quickly, you won't need to waste your time boss." said another man before revealing a claw.

"Alright, I'll expect his head here within a few days." said the man in the suit.

"Right, no problem." said the man with the sword before the four teleported away in puddles of water.

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"This is going to be a great mission, we'll show everyone just what we can do." Naruto said excitedly.

"Naruto, he really has a lot of energy." Hinata said quietly.

"Yeah, but he has no idea how to stay calm." Kakashi said.

"Are you talking about the mission?" Naruto asked.

"Something like that." Kakashi said calmly.

(Squad seven have been assigned a c-ranked escort mission, but someone has placed a bounty on their client. Next chapter squad seven will encounter the Demon Brothers, and realize the true reason for the mission. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	6. just an escort?

"What exactly are you working on in the Land of Waves Mr. Tazuna?" Hinata asked.

"What would you expect a bridge builder to be working on, I'm constructing a bridge." Tazuna replied roughly.

"Sorry." Hinata said before going over to walk with Kakashi.

"Would you pick up the pace, I have a deadline to keep." Tazuna said to Kakashi.

"Alright, we can go a little quicker but we should keep an eye out for snakes or other potentially dangerous creatures." Kakashi said calmly.

"Yeesh, this guy's a real jerk am I right Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Yeah, but we need to deal with it, besides you wanted a tougher mission." Sasuke said. "So stop whining idiot."

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"We'll handle the bridge builder, so you just wait for his head Zabuza." said one of the two men with the claws on their hands.

"Alright, you two get the job done rather well, I'll expect your success within a few hours." Zabuza said calmly.

"Of course, we won't disappoint." said the other man as they vanished in puddles of water.

"Zabuza, I don't think we should depend on those two." said a young boy wearing a mask.

"Don't concern yourself with that Haku, I already know they won't succeed, all they're good for is letting us know how skilled his escorts are." Zabuza said. "After all, Konoha is one of the strongest villages so we should be prepared."

"Yes Zabuza." Haku said before teleporting away.

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"Kakashi sensei, I have a bad feeling all of a sudden." Hinata said.

"I agree something feels off." Kakashi said. "Just keep your eyes and ears open"

"Right." Hinata said. I hope everything works out alright, she thought.

"What are you whispering about, is something going on that I should be aware of?" Tazuna asked irritably.

Suddenly two figures appeared from seemingly out of nowhere and sliced Kakashi clean in half.

"Sensei!" Hinata cried when he suddenly vanished in a puff a smoke.

"Forget him, get the target." said one of the men.

"Right, time to die old man." The other responded.

Naruto and Sasuke quickly jumped in front of Tazuna ready to battle the strange assailants, the first of which charged towards Sasuke but was blocked by a Kunai.

The second attempted to slash at Naruto with his claws, and Naruto brought up his hand to shield his face receiving a glancing blow.

Hinata meanwhile began making handseals to activate her Byakugan but as soon as she did she realized the battle was going to end quickly. Kakashi was hiding in one of the puddles the attackers appeared from and was waiting for his opportunity to counterattack.

Unfortunately for Sasuke the two chose that instant to reveal I hidden chain that they connected to their claws and attempted to use it to decapitate him. He barely dodged but could tell he wasn't doing to well and needed help.

"Sasuke, jump." Hinata said suddenly.

Sasuke glanced over for a split second before jumping into the tree he was backed up against when Kakashi appeared and struck one of the two with a kunai killing him instantly.

The other noticed and tried to flee only to meet another shadow clone that stabbed him through the heart.

"Well, that certainly was an interesting turn of events." Kakashi said.

"Yeah, we could have been killed." Hinata said while deactivating her Byakugan.

"I agree, but everyone's ok right?" Naruto asked.

"Apart from that scratch on your hand nobody got hurt, looks like you need to improve Naruto." Sasuke said mockingly.

"Naruto we may have a problem, take a look at their weapons." Kakashi said. "They were coated in a poison, it's probably in your bloodstream by now, there are only two ways I can think of to get enough blood out of your system to neutralize it."

"How, how can I avoid being poisoned?" Naruto asked as fear began to build in him.

"Well, the easy way is decapitation, that would get the poison out." Kakashi said. "The other way would be to open a wound on your hand and force the poison out from there."

"I pick the hand." Naruto said before taking a kunai and stabbing his hand with it.

Naruto-kun, Hinata thought to herself.

"I promise by the pain in my hand, I'll never run away ever again. I'll stand up to any opponent, overcome and obstacle, and accomplish any mission." Naruto said.

"Well said Naruto, but if you want to accomplish any of those goals I would recommend getting your hand wrapped up, you can still die of blood loss you know." Kakashi said.

"What, oh man, what do I do?" Naruto asked as he began to panic.

"I can help Naruto." Hinata said before taking some bandages from her pouch. Ok, just stay calm, you need to relax, she though to herself.

"Crazy kid, he almost killed himself, what kind of ninja is he?" Tazuna asked.

"One who is going to do great things in his lifetime." Kakashi said. He's getting more like you both every single day, he thought to himself.

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"Looks like those two weren't able to handle things." Haku said.

"I'm not surprised, they always overestimated their skills." Zabuza said. "I'll handle this one myself."

"Alright Zabuza." Haku said when the door suddenly opened.

"I couldn't help but notice you weren't able to eliminate that bridge builder, need I remind you that you are being paid to kill him?" asked the man in the suit.

"Listen up Gato, the last thing he's going to see is the blade of my Guillotine Sword." Zabuza said before drawing his blade and pointing it at Gato. "He's as good as dead."

"Mr. Gato." said his two samurai guards as they went to draw their swords only to have Haku outmaneuver them and hold the blades to their throats.

"Don't threaten Zabuza." Haku said coldy.

"Look, we shouldn't fight amongst ourselves, just take care of the bridge builder alright." Gato said.

(The demon brothers attempted to assassinate Tazuna but failed, now Zabuza is planning on finishing the job himself. Next chapter Tazuna will reveal the truth of the mission, and squad seven will learn of Gato's tyranny. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	7. story of a hero

"Alright Tazuna, clearly you aren't telling us something, why were those men attempting to assassinate you?"Kakashi asked.

"Well, I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore, the truth is I'm a threat." Tazuna said simply.

"Wait, you're a threat, to who?" Naruto asked. "You don't look very dangerous."

"I'm not a threat, rather the message I'm sending is."Tazuna explained.

"Well, would you explain everything, maybe it can help us with understanding our recent attack." Kakashi said.

"I suppose that's for the best, although I should say I don't have the needed money for a mission of this rank, hence my earlier deception." Tazuna said before closing his eyes."I guess the best place to start would be when he showed up."

"Who?" Hinata asked.

"Gato, the worst man to ever set foot in the Land of Waves." Tazuna answered.

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"Listen up, all of you." said a man with a samurai sword. "This area is now under the control of Mr. Gato, so you answer to him."

"What are you talking about?" asked an older lady.

"Yeah, why should we listen to someone we've never met?" asked a younger man before he suddenly was stabbed through the back by a second samurai.

"Does that answer your questions?" the man asked as he pulled out his sword.

"Well, it seems the introduction is already over, well I'm glad to tell you that 80% of all profit anyone makes is now my property." Gato said as he walked to stand in front of his two guards.

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"How could anyone be that heartless?" Hinata asked.

"That was just the beginning, and it was far from the worst thing he's ever done." Tazuna said. "He took the one thing we needed most, a sense of hope, that there would be a way out."

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"Listen up, we can't let Gato do what he wants." said a young man with a scar on his chin shaped like an x.

"Kaiza, we all know that, but we have no way to stop him." said an older man.

"Look, we can't give up, he can't kill us all. We can get our home back." Kaiza said.

"You're right, Gato has no power over us, we shouldn't give him anything." said another man.

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"Wait, it sounds like that Kaiza guy was a hero." Naruto said. "So why didn't Gato leave?"

"Hero, if only you knew how right you were." Tazuna said. "Kaiza was a hero, and he was a great man, until that day."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked. "It sounds like he was leading you all to get rid of Gato."

"That's right, what do you mean Mr. Tazuna?" Hinata asked.

"I mean that in the Land of Waves a hero is something that just doesn't seem to exist anymore." Tazuna said.

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"Mr. Gato sir, nobody is giving anymore of their profits, someone must be telling them not to." said one of his samurai.

"Should we take care of this 'Kaiza' boss?" asked the other samurai.

"Yes, but leave him alive and bring him to me, we should show these people what their hero deserves." Gato said.

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"What's going on, why did Gato ask all of us to come here?" asked a young woman.

"I don't know, but it can't be good." said another woman.

"Well, I'm glad you all decided to show up, it's come to my attention that you think you don't have to pay me, well I'm going to show you what happens to people who think that way." Gato said before showing Kaiza tied to a pole beaten and bloody. "This man thought it would be wise to defy me, well this is what he gets."

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"Gato's lackeys proceeded to cut Kaiza's arms clean off, and he personally killed him in front of all of us. That was the day that both the idea of a hero, and of hope, died. In our land." Tazuna said.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Kakashi said while his students remained silent.

"Kakashi sensei, we need to help these people." Naruto said suddenly. "I can't stand here and watch them lose all their confidence in heroes"

Naruto-kun, Hinata thought. "Naruto's right, they need hope that things can improve."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you feel that way, because I do too." Kakashi said. "We'll make sure things improve."

"Thank you." Tazuna said.

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"Haku, leave this one to me, I'll handle this myself."Zabuza said before walking towards the door. "Oh, and before I forget, give Gato a message, tell him that he better have our payment. Otherwise he'll be my next target."

"Yes Zabuza." Haku said. "I'll let him know."

"Good, time for this bridge builder to meet the Demon of Kirigakure." Zabuza said as he left.

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"Alright, we should be there in a few hours." Tazuna said. "I really appreciate you helping my home like this."

"Don't think anything of it." Kakashi said.

"Yeah, besides someone needs to teach that Gato guy a lesson." Naruto said with a grin.

"Naruto, we shouldn't underestimate our opponents."Kakashi said. "If those two were after Tazuna, other people might be as well, and they could be even more dangerous."

"In that case we should be on our guard." Sasuke said.

"Sasuke has a point, hold on a second." Hinata said before performing hand signs. "Byakugan."

"Good idea, Hinata do you see anyone nearby?" Kakashi asked.

"Hold on, we're being surrounded by some kind of a fog."Naruto said as a strange mist began to surround them.

"This mist, it's full of chakra." Hinata said. "Someone's coming."

"Impressive little girl, I don't know how you managed to spot me, but I guess you're skilled, no wonder the bridge builder picked you as his bodyguards." said a man as he emerged from the mist. "Although I still promise you this, by the end of the day that man will die at the end of my blade."

"Just try it." Naruto said as squad seven prepared to fight.

(Squad seven have learned of Kaiza's story, or at least part of it, and now Zabuza is on the battlefield. Next chapter the battle with Zabuza will begin. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	8. duel with the demon of the mist round 1

"Who are you, and why are trying to kill Tazuna?" Kakashi asked.

"My name is none of your concern, and as for my reasons, I'm being paid to kill him so I intend too." Zabuza said. "Now then, Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu."

As soon as he performed the jutsu three clones of Zabuza appeared from the water around him.

"Alright, don't forget that each one of them is weaker than he normally would be." Sasuke said.

"I know that, have you forgotten my best jutsu Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "I'll handle this, Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Naruto wait, we don't know what kind of techniques he can use." Kakashi said when one of the clones ran towards him.

The water clone drew his blade and attempted to slice Kakashi in half, but he quickly dodged back.

Alright, in that case I'll need to get serious, Kakashi thought before taking a kunai from his pouch.

"Kakashi sensei, behind you." Hinata suddenly yelled, but she was a few seconds late as a second clone trapped him in a dome of water.

"Water Prison Jutsu, you're not getting out of there anytime soon, now then, move aside kids, I'm feeling generous today." Zabuza said before pointing his sword at Tazuna. "He's the only one who has to die."

"Fat chance, I'm going to beat you right here." Naruto said before his clones charged towards Zabuza. However one of the Water Clones managed to block the first clone and shoot a water dragon at the group.

"Dang it, Sasuke catch." Naruto said as he threw Sasuke a blade.

This, Sasuke thought, alright.

Sasuke whipped around revealing the weapon to be a giant shuriken. "Demon Wind Suriken: Windmill of Shadows." With those words he threw the weapon at Zabuza.

"Amateur." Zabuza said as he caught the shuriken in his hand. All of a sudden a second shuriken appeared right behind the first, and Zabuza had no choice but to jump over it.

Darn, it was a good strategy, Tazuna thought, I guess this guy is just to…

Suddenly the second shuriken transformed into Naruto with a kunai in his hand which he threw at Zabuza from behind, forcing him to release the Water Prison in order to avoid being stabbed.

"Alright, I'll admit that was an impressive idea kids, but don't think I'm beat, time to show you my specialty, Hidden Mist Jutsu." Zabuza said as the entire area became shrouded in a mist that completely obscured everyone's vision.

"This is bad, Hinata where is he?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know, this mist is made out of chakra, so my Byakugan can't see him."

(Author's Note: Since the Hidden Mist jutsu uses Zabuza's chakra, he blends in to the mist when you use the Byakugan, that's why Hinata can't see him. The earlier mist was thinner, so the highest concentration of chakra could be distinguished as a human.)

"Everyone quiet." Kakashi said just before a sword nearly cleaved him in half. Wait, this jutsu and that sword, he thought. Zabuza Momochi.

The mist continued to surround the shinobi with none of them making the slightest noise.

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"I have a bad feeling, the air feels tense." Haku said to himself. "I need to go assist Zabuza."

With those words Haku quickly ran out of Gato's base in order to assist his friend.

I only hope I can get there in time, he thought.

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"You're skilled, who are you?" Zabuza asked as his sword collided with Kakashi's kunai again.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake, and you're Zabuza Momochi, the demon of the hidden mist." Kakashi said.

"Kakashi, I've heard of you." Zabuza said before jumping back. "You're known for the Sharingan eye, let's see what it can do."

Kakashi merely looked at Zabuza for a few seconds before lifting his headband revealing his left eye. "Alright, if you insist, but I warn you, your future is death." He said.

The two powerful shinobi then jumped back and simultaneously began to perform hand signs.

"Wow, Kakashi sensei is really skilled." Hinata said.

That eye, where could he have gotten it, Sasuke thought.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu." Kakashi and Zabuza said as two dragons made of water appeared and surrounded each other before colliding and raining down on the two shinobi who had taken the opportunity to collide again.

"Wow, Kakashi sensei's really awesome." Naruto said.

"Don't be stupid Naruto, this guy is way out of our league, I don't know if Kakashi will win, for all we know this guy has something planned." Sasuke said. "We should focus on how to take him out when we get the chance."

"Sasuke's right, we should be ready to help Kakashi-sensei." Hinata said when she suddenly saw something at the edge of her vision. "Someone's coming."

"I'll admit you're as good as they say." Zabuza said. "Unfortunately I'm far from beat."

Zabuza then started to make hand signs, but Kakashi quickly mirrored each one.

"What in the world?" Zabuza asked as a image of himself appeared behind Kakashi. Why am I behind him, he thought.

"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu." Kakashi said as his jutsu launched a giant vortex of water at Zabuza.

The torrential force o the vortex shot Zabuza into a forest and right into a tree while knocking the wind out of him.

"What just happened, why did I appear behind him?" Zabuza asked.

"I told you, your future is death." Kakashi said as he appeared on a branch just before three needles pierced Zabuza in the neck and killed him.

"I'll handle this from here, Zabuza is a criminal from the hidden mist, I'll take care of him." said a masked figure before taking Zabuza's corpse and teleporting away.

"What was that all about?" Naruto asked.

"That was a hunter ninja, they track criminals from the various villages and kill eliminate them." Kakashi explained.

"Oh, that makes sense." Hinata said.

Except if I recall correctly a hunter ninja is supposed to eliminate the body where it dies, why do I have a bad feeling about this, Kakashi thought.

(Squad seven have managed to fight off Zabuza, but someone else took his life and corpse. Next chapter Kakashi will teach squad seven how to climb trees, and they will arrive at the bridge. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	9. resting and recovering

(Author's Note: Apologies for the delay with this chapter, I'm not abandoning this story, I've just been reading the more recent manga chapters, and so wasn't able to focus on this story.)

"Kakashi sensei, are you alright?" Hinata asked when Kakashi suddenly collapsed to his knees.

"I'll be alright, that just took a lot out of me, I'll be fine after a little rest." Kakashi said. "Would it be alight if we spent a day or two resting at your home Tazuna?"

"After everything you've done, it's the least I could do to repay you." Tazuna said.

"Thanks." Sasuke said quickly before glancing back at the tree where the hunter ninja appeared.

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"What happened, are you telling me you failed?" Gato asked angrily as Haku walked in with Zabuza's body.

"Of course not." Haku said coldly. "Now if you excuse me I have something to attend to."

"Wait, you still have a job to do I'm paying you…" Gato began to say before Haku vanished. "That little punk, I'll teach him respect eventually."

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"Kakashi sensei, are you sure you're alright, I mean you're leg is pretty badly injured." Naruto said.

"Trust me Naruto, I'm fine, I just need some time to let myself heal, but more importantly I've decided to get in some training while we're here." Kakashi said calmly.

"What sort of training?" Sasuke asked with minor curiosity.

"Well, I think that the three of you should learn how to do this." Kakashi said before walking over to a tree, and proceeding to walk straight up the side.

"That's incredible, how did you do that Kakashi sensei?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"All it takes is using your chakra and matching it to the tree, just keep in mind that you need to be precise, too much and you'll damage the tree and fall, too little and you'll fail to even make it up one step, so ready to give it a shot?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, and I'm going to make it to the top first try." Naruto said emphatically.

"Idiot, it won't be as easy as you think." Sasuke said.

"That's true, but maybe Naruto is more skilled than we think." Hinata said. "He did come up with the plan to save Kakashi sensei."

"Yeah, so just watch Sasuke." Naruto said before the three of them stepped up to separate trees.

Sasuke proceeded to run up a few steps before losing his footing and marking his spot with a kunai, Naruto took one step and landed on his back.

"Is this good sensei?" Hinata asked while standing near the top of the tree.

"Impressive Hinata, the Hyuga clan's chakra control is certainly impressive." Kakashi said with a smile.

"Wow, awesome Hinata." Naruto said. "Just wait, I'll get to the top before you know it."

"I know you will Naruto." Hinata said. Naruto-kun just complimented me, she thought with a smile.

Naruto and Sasuke continued climbing the trees for hours until finally they both reached the very top.

"I told you I'd make it Sasuke." Naruto said with a grin.

"True, but this is only the start." Sasuke said. "Anyway, we should head inside."

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"Wow, those two are dedicated, I'll give them that for sure." Tazuna said.

"Well that's just the kind of people Naruto and Sasuke are." Kakashi said. "Neither of them ever quit until they achieve what they're trying to do."

"What's that amazing smell?" Naruto asked as he and Sasuke walked into the room.

"That would be some soup, but I need some herbs from the forest, Naruto would you be a dear and grab those for me?" asked Tsunami.

"No problem, I'll be back before you know it." Naruto said before running off.

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"Alright, she wanted some of these, and some of these, and…" Naruto started to say when someone took the herb he was reaching for.

"Oh, did you need this?" asked a figure in a pink robe. "I'm sorry, but a friend of mine needs it for some medicine."

"Oh, no problem. I'll just grab another one." Naruto said. "Just tell your friend I hope they get better."

"I'm sure he will, you know I can't help but feel we've met before." the figure said.

"Well, soon enough everybody will know who I am." Naruto said with a grin.

"Well good luck with your dream." The figure said before getting up and turning away.

"Right, well maybe I'll see you later miss." Naruto said calmly.

"I'm a boy." the figure said before walking off.

What, that was a boy, Naruto thought in amazement. "Oh yeah, the herbs." he said before running off.

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"Where did you run off too?" Gato asked when Haku walked into the room.

"That's none of your concern, now if you don't mind I have something to attend to." Haku said before taking a small bowl and proceeding to mix several herbs together.

"You should learn your place." said one of the samurai in the room.

"Don't threaten me, or Zabuza." Haku said coldly before turning back to Zabuza and placing the mixed herbs into a cup of water and helping him to drink it.

"Haku, what happened?" Zabuza asked before looking around. "Oh I get it, well we still need to take down that bridge builder."

"Yes Zabuza, he should be at the bridge soon." Haku said.

"Alright, in that case we should move out." Zabuza said before walking to the door.

"Right." Haku said before walking out with him.

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"Alright, it's about time we move out, our mission isn't over until this bridge is completed." Kakashi said. "Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, let's go."

"Right." they all said together.

"The bridge is right over these hills, I'm sure everything will be alright though, especially with that man dead, it should be a restful day for you all." Tazuna said.

"I'd still be on my guard." Kakashi said as the four of them left for the bridge.

"This should be easy, I mean what's the worst that could happen Sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Look who's still around." said a voice from the bridge.

"This Naruto, this is the worst case scenario." Kakashi said before getting ready to fight.

(Zabuza has recovered, and now Haku is with him. Next chapter will begin the battle on the bridge. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


End file.
